dmittedly, the samba beat only lasted for 45 minutes and yes it was against a team who were no great shakes by any stretch of the imagination. But entertainment and Kingfield have rarely been mentioned in the same breath in recent seasons and the home fans were given a long awaited reminder as to just why they hand over their hard-earned cash. This was borne out by the unusual fact that it was necessary to have — not one — but two hands to count the number of Woking chances created. There were 10 in the first half alone. That the visitors could not muster even one effort at goal before the break gave an indication as to how one-sided it all was. Spearheaded by the electrifying talent of striker Amos Foyewa, The Cards cut a swathe though the Gravesend ranks in an excellent display of sustained attacking football which had the noise levels cranked up on a hot and sultry Tuesday night. But Cockerill’s men should have had more to show for their first-half efforts than Jefferson Louis’ two goals and their inability to go for the kill could well have proved their undoing. A sluggish start to the second half let Gravesend back into a match which they had no right to have a sniff at. It all added up to a feast of thrills and spills but had Abbey been in possession of a decent left foot then it may have been a story about two points thrown away rather than three points gained as he spurned a great late chance to level the scores. “I was delighted with the first half and maybe we should have come in four of five goals up,” said Cockerill. “But it just goes to show that being two goals up and cruising in the first half is not enough in this league. To be fair to Gravesend they came out, they battled and with nothing to lose, threw everything at us. We made hard work of it after looking by far the better side. “But you have to give them credit for keeping going when I thought they were dead and buried.” Following the Morecambe defeat, Cockerill left out Neil Smith for Chris Sharpling — still struggling to find his form — while Foyewa started instead of Steve Ferguson. Just how the manager is going to keep a squad of 23 happy is anyone’s guess. However, the decision was vindicated hugely in Foyewa’s case, the former Bournemouth front man terrorising Francis Duku and anybody else who got in his way. An incredible few moments in the fourth minute saw Raphael Nade weave his way down the left before feeding Foyewa. A stunning left-foot deflected shot thudded against the upright and Louis headed the rebound against the underside of the crossbar before heading a third effort over the top. As if that wasn’t enough to get the fans excited, Foyewa then skipped past three defenders, rounded the keeper but saw Juku stop his effort on the line. The breakthrough came when another ex-Card, Steve Perkins handled Scott Canham’s free kick in the box, Louis — with a stuttering run up — scoring from the spot. A minute later the hard working striker chased a long ball forward and blocked keeper Alex O’Reilly’s attempted clearance, the ball cannoning off his boot and into an empty net. O’Reilly then saved well from Louis after Foyewa had set him up and the excellent Ian Selley tried in vain to snap up the loose ball for what would have been a fully deserved third. However, Woking’s minds stayed in the dressing room at the break while Gravesend upped their game and Woking keeper Ashley Bayes made a fabulous point-blank save from Abbey after substitute James Pinnock — who did much to change the course of the contest — set him up. In what was deemed a negative move, Cockerill brought on Smith for Sharpling as the visitors got more of a hold on the match and after Louis had spurned a hat-trick chance by looping a header over the bar, Pinnock reduced the deficit from close range. Foyewa then made it 3-1 after latching on to Smith’s through ball. He raced clear, tried to pass to Louis who was better positioned but the ball struck the unlucky Steve McKimm and diverted back into Foyewa’s path, the front man gleefully rolling home into an open goal. Still the contest was not over as within a minute, Abbey scored after a mad scramble which started with Duku’s header against the crossbar. It set up a tense final 15 minutes but Woking hung on for three welcome points. “I was itching to play because I didn’t play on Saturday,” reflected Foyewa afterwards. “The manager picks the team and if you’re not selected you have to work hard to get back in. Sometimes you have to accept disappointment as a footballer, that’s the name of the game.” He wasn’t disappointed on Tuesday though and while a certain Manchester United recruit by the name of Kleberson was nowhere to be seen, the spirit of his countrymen hovered long into the night. Woking: Bayes, Townsend, Boardman, Sharp, Bernard, Sharpling (Smith 61), Canham, Selley, Nade, Louis, Foyewa (Ferguson 90). Subs not used: Northmore, Campbell, L Cockerill. Att: 2,096.